This was my first year going to this event and I had a great time. The venue was very nice with gardens, ponds, art pieces, and cozy books to hang out it. There were a few food options - food trucks and a caterer that I believe was set up by Sunset, free italian sodas, a good amount of free wine tastings, as well as beer offerings if you bought tickets. I also enjoyed the free (and educational) flower bouquet and fruit tree presentation. It was a nice sunny day with not too many people. I would return! Tip: bring a reusable bag for your swag...we luckily scored one promoting Ventura but don't know if they always hand them out. read more

My son-in-law ordered Sunset Magazine at Christmas. I have not received one magazine even after contacting customer service many times. I do not recommend Sunset Magazine. read more

.The sunset celebration is the only festival we cannot miss every year. We will miss it for sure.

Ive always meant to go to this event but always avoided it because of the crazy masses. Because it was the last one happening in this space I decided to go down. I also had to see some friends how were running their food truck there. Having Chris Cosentino, James Syhabout, and Anthony Strong presenting was a bonus. Well the masses are indeed crazy and Im not sure I'd do it again. The demographic of landscape architecture, interior design and that group is an interesting one which I certainly dont fit in. They also switched Chef Syhabout out so I didnt get to see him. Boo. Well who knows maybe it improves when they move but unless there are folks I really want to see Im not sure I'd go back read more

See all

This annual event is Sunset magazine on steroids! The first weekend in June, Sunset throws open all the doors and welcomes you inside. Hundreds of vendors, arts, entertainment, home design, gardening, travel, beer and wine, and (of course) FOOD! It wouldn't be Sunset without the food. The Street Food Exhibit is your dream come true. Everything from cupcakes to skirt steaks! The blackened catfish taco with mango coleslaw was a personal favorite. The product demonstrations will keep you on the run. Cooking Stages feature celebrity chefs. The Weber display is always a huge draw with all the latest tech in grilling. Savor California returns with all the flavors of Califronia -- free samples of everything from jams and olive oil to fudge and spiced nuts. YUM! If you need any insight into how to plan your next vacation, destinations galore are on hand to show the way. Sunset...."Your Guide to Living in the West" shows you how to get the job done. Mark your calendar for June 2012. read more

Gigantic festival centered on food/wine and home/garden! I was lucky enough to get in for free because they were giving out free tickets to those who lived nearby and my friend scored one, so thank you Sunset and Brian J! Otherwise, I hear tickets are quite expensive. There was so much to see and eat! There's a ton of free samples from yogurt to hot dogs to ice cream; lots of beverages and samples from different vendors. We bought a beer tasting which was really enjoyable to try with all the different flavors of kettle chips. There were also several good food trucks there, but with mega long lines. So many cooking and design demos and talks to see, so little time! The most memorable one was the cooking challenge between Fabio Viviani from Top Chef and an executive safeway chef. Growing up reading Sunset magazines, it was pretty cool to tour their headquarters, gardens, and test kitchens. There are a lot of vendors, travel-related companies, and stalls on gardening and home-related things. Good music, good food, and plenty to see made for a super fun day! read more

Had a bunch of fun walking around and seeing all the food, designs, and products that were showcased at the Sunset Celebration Weekend. All the vendors were friendly and there is plenty of food to be had. Safeway was handing out all types of food and one of the samples, the ice cream, I actually thought was TOO big! I know, hard to believe. The smaller food vendors that were tucked away into another building were very nice. They were ready to answer any questions, talk about their products, and of course, offer samples. Their prices were really great, too. You might think that they would mark it up for these events, but they all seemed to understand that people have to take some home to their friends to get people hooked. Some downsides are that - 1. it's a bit expensive at $16 or so per ticket and 2. parking is bad and expect to be bussed in from your parking lot or take a decent walk. read more

Sunset Celebration Weekend - Festivals Near Me - Menlo Park, California

See all

My friend provided us complimentary tickets and we love festivals so we were excited to check out the celebration weekend event. I was shocked that tickets normally cost $20 or $25 each but after exploring, the price was a bit more reasonable. They had tons of free food and various samples from vendors to stuff your face with. There were a bunch of different exhibits and celebrity guest chefs/speakers. It was our first time visiting the Sunset campus and we were amaZed! It is a beautiful and huge site and they had vendors and exhibits on every piece of available space. read more

We woke up to a lovely rain shower but that only encouraged us to go all the more since perhaps that meant more freebies for those who braved the weather. We donned our rain-gear complete with new umbrellas and headed out. One sad result of the rain is not having any fun pictures to share since I didn't want to have to negotiate wet weather while taking out my camera. Perhaps next year! Yes, we had so much fun this is now going to become an annual outing for us. In a nutshell, Sunset Celebration Weekend is their annual garden party held at the Magazine's beautiful campus featuring cooking demonstrations, wine seminars and endless innovative home and garden ideas for inspiration. Parking is free though we did have to to walk a bit. For parking lots that were further out (such as the future Facebook campus) Sunset provided free shuttle bus service which was pretty convenient. When we arrived (tickets were only $16 and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Children's Health Council), the first thing they handed us as we entered the gate was a huge schwag bag ready to fill up with goodies. Here's a few of our favorite finds: 1. Filtered Water Stations throughout so we could fill up our free stainless steel water bottles (thanks Honda!) along with generous and seemingly never-ending samples of Crystal Light Pure. 2. Recipes and food tastings galore - some of my favorites: * Cypress Grove's Midnight Moon Cheese - The last in a long line of tastings, a delicious goat's milk cheese with the texture of a gouda - we bought a wedge for $5. * Lucero Peach Balsamic Vinegar - I'm not usually a big fan of balsamic vinegar, but I was able to drink this straight from the sample cup without the bread. I imagine a little bit of this over a nice salad would be great for summer. * Cucumbers with a Lemongrass Vinaigrette that I unfortunately do not remember the name of - but this reminded me a lot of something my mom used to make. * Virgin Bloody Mary Shooter - better than a V8. 3. Gerard's Paella: $10 for a heaping serving that still left me wanting a bit more. We'll be back! read more

This is a great summer event hosted by Sunset Magazine every year during the first weekend in June. It's normally $25 per person through EventBrite which is pretty pricey, but if you subscribe to their monthly wine club, the subscription comes with two tickets if you order early enough (one month is ~$20). The event itself is pretty high quality, so I think it's worth the price of admission if you're into home/garden and food/wine. And although the ticket prices themselves are pricey (even increased since last year), I think it helped keep the crowds down this year which I preferred. One of the enjoyable parts of the event are the tastings. This year, Tillamook was a big sponsor, so there was a lot of yogurt/dairy products in general. It was nice to have with the warm weather we had that weekend, but it would've been nice to have a larger variety of samples. They also had a few water stations that would refill your water bottles and cups with cold, refreshing water throughout the event. That being said, the samples alone are probably not enough to fill you up, and that is where all the food and drink vendors come in, including some really great food truck vendors. We attended only one of the live demos while we were there, but it was one I was looking forward to since I got my tickets--Fabio Viviani from Top Chef! He did a demo on how to make fresh pasta in a few minutes using a food processor and a pasta maker; later, he also did a cooking challenge with the executive chef of Safeway. Another demo I would've loved to catch was Susan Feniger's cooking demo! For those who are more interested in home/garden design, they also have separate stages and demos for those as well! :) If there's a demo you're really looking forward to, I highly recommend going super early to grab a seat; otherwise it's standing room only for the most popular demos. Last year we were able to enjoy the Weber grill cooking class, but this year it was $30 to take the class, so we passed on it. All in all, a great event to go to during the summer. :) read more

What a great little event, lots of things to do and see. Hopefully, you won't get rained on like this year, but the show still went on. Giveaways everywhere and lots to learn. Good company all around and it's kind of neat to see where the writers work and play. read more

See all

Went to the Celebration Weekend on Sunday. Thought it was ok. My first thought was that 16$ is a bit much for what was there compared to free festivals that have a very similar set up. I'm sure some of that fee was for the special events you could drop in on but considering I wasn't so interested in watching cooking demonstrations I would have preferred if the entrance fee was cheaper and you paid extra to see the shows. The food choices were pretty good. We ended up getting some yummy Korean BBQ that everyone seemed to enjoy. We decided to purchase the drink glass and tickets which was a little annoying. There were tickets in there for bloody mary shots and a specific wine vendor. We were not at all interested in the bloody mary shots but they would not let you exchange them for regular tickets. They also told us that the wine ones were complimentary and thats why you could exchange them for general drink tickets. Slightly annoying. I would have liked to use the wine tickets at a different booth but that also was not allowed. There were several vacation booths set up that if you were looking to go on a vacation could be super useful. I did feel like there was a lot of repetition among the different vendors. I did really enjoy several of the art booths and interior design ideas. If you are looking to remodel your home in any way there was about 100 booths that could help you with that. There was a pretty decent kids section with bubbles a rock climbing wall and some gardening. There were a few other stations through out that kids could enjoy. There was a pot painting activity that the kids we had with wanted to do but it was over 2 hour wait to do it. And well, we weren't going to stick around so they could paint a pot. I will say I was impressed with the shuttles and designated parking lots. They did make getting there very easy and convenient. Overall, it was just alright. A little less repetition a little more variety may have gone a long way. read more

Really fun. Okay, so you pay admission for this. And to be honest, you don't get a lot for the admission. A few samples. But mostly it's about access. Here's what you get: the ability to walk around some pretty grounds and have people try to sell things to you (kayak tours, olive oil, hot tubs, etc.) BUT, once you're inside you can buy some pretty cool stuff: I had a lobster roll from a food truck, and we bought drink tickets that I think were a pretty good value. And at least the drinks went into a glass...man I hate plasticware for good bevs. And most exciting of all? I got to go in a tiny house!!! I'd always wanted to! SO COOL. And we got to be silly in a Mandalay Bay photobooth. And to taste a new Dryers ice cream, which was delish. Glad I went. Dying to see what they do when they move to Oakland!!! YAY!!! read more

I too was one of the hundreds waiting at a shuttle pick-up point for an hour before I had to abort to drive closer to the venue and then walked along the busy highway. I've attended the Menlo Park event that overflows with not only attendees but vendors and activities. This year's organizers failed at inspiring us which is a hallmark of the Sunset Magazine. This event was money and time poorly spent and I will not be back next year. read more

This is a vendor review---new location at Cornerstone in Sonoma is horrible.Parking is ridiculous---set up will take you forever depending where you are located---if you are located at west end of facility in the dirt bt Arnold Rd---good luck.This is a horrible location as to the crowds don't come back there--they only hang out on main street where the wine and beer are--or maybe the grassy area. This is the worst of the 20 Celebration Weekends I have attended as a vendor.The load out is also ridiculous if you have a large booth----Sunset lets the food trucks and wine and beer and city/county vendors load up first---than they will let you to the back section--which only has 1 way in and 1 way out!! Traffic was backed up from the Corner stone location all the way back to Hwy 37----customers were 2 hours in 1 way traffic---and by the time they arrived at the venue they were very Pissy!! I will not return neck year--I loved the venue at Menlo Park----the Cornerstone location in Sonoma is a prro investment in time and money. read more

Absolutely the best and most beautiful food / wine / garden / home / travel / everything festival I have ever attended! I had no idea how overwhelmingly awesome Sunset Celebration Weekend would be - can't wait to come back to this beautiful setting overflowing with great food and wine, tips from top design professionals and inspiration for many future vacations in the great northwest! Bravo, Sunset! read more

2017 celebration in Sonoma was my last time to this event. I have been going to the MP event and this is the first time for the new loc. It seemed missing a lot of participation from the companies surrounding the magazine. No grilling seminars, cookie making, food exhibits....what happen to all of the sponsors? The distance, heat and long lines waiting for the bus made it for an uneventful satuday. The location was expansive but didn't quite have the charm of the past events on locations at their offices. $45 for the entrance? That seems really excessive for what is offered. Sunset Glass with 3 fix for beer/wine is separate cost of $15. Better off paying for a full glass for beer or wine inside and you don't have to carry a glass around. read more

This event was really fun! Came here with a group of 8 people and we had a great time. Next time, I will hit up all the free food vendors hidden away in an enclave deep within the festival. That way, I'll get my fill of free food and then go nuts with the beer and wine. Bring a hat and sunscreen! It gets hot and there's not that much shade. read more

Unfortunately very baby unfriendly. We brought out three year old daughter and two month old son last year. We never received so many dirty looks from people for simply sitting or walking around with our stroller (which was small and we kept out of crowds way.) the mothers room was sad--an empty festival stall with no chairs or tables. Nursing moms were sitting on the concrete floor or sidewalk. The kids section was small, though my daughter enjoyed the bubbles. But not worth the hour plus drive from Berkeley. Hope they can do better in the future for visiting families. read more

Lets just say I had too many beers by 3PM and was done. This event is really fun and the food everywhere is amazing. The layout of the event is well coordinated and I enjoyed seeing some live demonstrations. Will be back next year for sure. read more

My first time at Sunset celebration and after paying $265 for two VIP tickets was very disappointed! Arrived at one of the event parking areas and waited for 45 minutes with five othe people( the shuttles were to start at 9:30) , we all proceeded to get in our cars and drive to another event parking areas with a long line of people waiting! Still no shuttle even though calls were made! Finally four of us paid for Lyft to get to the event.did not arrive until a bit after 11:00am! So much for early entry with the VIP pass! The VIP area was nice as were the displays but was difficult to enjoy after driving 1 1/2 hours then waiting almost two hours then having to pay for a ride! When we decided to leave we once again ran into a problem (along with a group of other event goers) that there was not a shuttle that went anywhere except to airport parking lot! Finally after circling back through the pick up area after a few runs we were able to talk one of the drivers into taking us out to the other event parking sites! Will not go again or recommend to others! Very poorly organized. read more

This is an award winning event for good reason. Beautifully laid out, chock full of the top purveyors of premiere Western lifestyle retailers. Every year the event focuses on trending fashions. Not to miss! read more

I've gone to Sunset Celebration weekend since the price was $5.00. I've brought close to 25 people, who in turn have brought people. I used to love it. We call it our "Super Bowl Weekend". This last one at cornerstone didn't seem like Sunset at all. There was really very little Sunset things to enjoy. The food used to be wonderful...hot dogs and onions grilling, all kinds of foods to pick from, fun crafts to make. Pots to paint, lots of free samples. Virtually none of that now. And expensive to get in...$45.00 and for what? This time there were 5 food trucks. Everything was expensive. It was more of a "stores at Cornerstone" celebration. Parking was terrible. Took us 45 min to wait for the shuttle and so we finally walked. Much of it was a beer and wine tasting. So sad to say that this is my last time. Very bad. What happened Sunset???? read more

This is a great event! Haven't attended the past few years but going in 2015 as it's the last time @ the beautiful Menlo Park location which has been sold. For architecture buffs the event allows access to the Cliff May designed ranch style home which has served as Sunset Magazines headquarters since it's inception. Plenty to see & do & eat & experience with a somewhat expensive price tag but worth it. An event this great get's LOT'S of people so arrive early. Truly an end of an era & a peek into what made California so inviting to so many. All things change but this is one of the truly special California only type events that will be just a memory after this weekend. read more

Went last year for the first time, bought VIP tickets, and was absolutely thrilled. This time, I was pretty disappointed. Arrived at 10, looked for coffee and a snack at the VIP tent, and the only thing to eat was the worst mini airport pastry I have ever seen. NOT edible. Last year, fruit, etc. was available. The taco bar lunch was very good. Afternoon...nothing. Last year, cheese platter, lovely selection. We Sunset subscribers, as you may imagine, are major foodies. Whoever catered the VIP tent did a real disservice to the Sunset brand. The rest of the event was a lot lighter on sponsor participation. Also missing: cut flowers and bulbs to bring home. The lilies I grew from last year's event were lovely, and are blooming again. Sadly, I don't see myself bothering with this event in future. Oh, and 45 minute wait for the bus to the parking lot. read more

the most awesome festival ever for suburban folks. must check it out. the store across the street has 1,000 beers and that was a great added bonus. read more